Chronicled
by dismaedeus
Summary: When the crystal asks for your name, don't you ever answer. For your life will lead through danger and tragedy alike, carrying the crippling burden of the world's light. Home will become a lost dream, and your worst nightmares will become reality. Don't answer the call, just turn away and pretend. Pretend you didn't hear. And maybe, just maybe- you can live a safe, normal life.
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! This is actually my first ever fanfic… so go a little easy on me. It's a work in progress. Thanks, and enjoy!**

Prologue:

_Who are you? _The light had once asked me. And at that time, being the timid child that I was, I didn't respond. I looked around at the other shadowy figures that cowered back from the two of us. They formed a wall that blockaded us in. This bewildering light, and me.

I didn't understand then; their terrified faces flickering with blackened shadows. Faces I couldn't recognize, just watching me. Waiting for my answer. I kept my gaze low to the ground; eyeing the light's reflection. A young girl. Just like me. Her reflection cocked its head to the side, mirroring the curiosity in that haunting voice, _Who are you?_

"Yvelle." I shaded my eyes to get a better look at the girl behind the blinding light. "My name is Yvelle."

The crowds spun around me, faster and faster. And the starry sky above flooded the horizon; swallowing the land below. I remember how fast my heart was beating, loud and steady as a war drum. Before long I waded amid a sea of stars.

She- the light, it held its hand to me. _Who are you?_ Her voice boomed like thunder in that ethereal realm. I stood a child in her divinity. Bathed in her light.

"I'm just me." I answered her.

_Just you… _She stood solemn, before retracting her hand. Slowly, she stepped out and circled around me. _Yes...__Your name is Yve. You are the farmer's daughter from Tipa. _I let out a small gasp. _The clavat girl with a heavy destiny. _

"You know of me?" I asked her.

_I know everything that ever was, as well as make way for what will be. _She stopped pacing, to inch closer to my face. I had to turn away, the light was so blinding. _And yet, you are not ready. Grow quick, my child. Grow well. We await you at the gates of Memoria. _

I didn't have time to ask her what she meant then. And when I woke, I was just as clueless. I ran to my mother's arms and spoke stories of the crystal girl, and the sea of stars. I couldn't understand then why she started crying. I couldn't understand why she told me to never give the light my name.

Now that I know the answer, it's already too late.

We pretended that night never happened. We pretended I was just an average little girl. But turning a blind eye to the truth, never made it any less true.

My name is Yve, I'm a farm-girl clavat from the village of Tipa. I was a child then, but I had sealed my fate there. Since the day the crystal chose me, I had been born to walk the lands of monsters. I had been chosen to fight back.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Summer blessed our village with beauty beyond belief. The crops grew tall enough to exceed me. The wild flowers freckled the pastures around us. All such vibrancy that rivaled the cerulean of the near-cloudless skies.

Stone houses lined the hills, and lead the eye to the center of town. To the crystal. I remember that year it shone like no other; rich in life. Singing a vibration that resonated deep within the hearts of the townsfolk.

I can remember it all so clearly. But most of all I remember how naive I was. Little did I know, this was my last true summer.

"Yve-!" I heard my name stumble out the lips of the little girl behind me. She stood barefoot in the grass that hid her ankles; wearing that vivid pink dress. Mintie, my sister, was always two steps behind me.

"I have work to do, Mintie." I shooed her away. The bucket of water I carried was weighing heavily in my arms and I wanted to deliver it, fast. I ignored her, finding my way to the stables.

That didn't discourage her though, it never did. "I brought you lunch, see?" She cut me off, lifting a small tied sack in front of my sights.

I heavily put the bucket down. A sigh escaped me, the sun had been beating down on me for a while now. "I guess a small break couldn't hurt."

"Yes-!" She exclaimed, falling back in her excitement. She hit the grass with a soft thud. "I was getting bored, playing off by myself. The cows don't care for conversation much." She joked.

I didn't share her humor. "Aren't you supposed to be studying?" I asked, taking a seat beside her. Mintie was the first in our family stepping beyond the farmer legacy. Not that it was her choice.

She pouted. "No fair, who wants to be stuck inside on a day like today?"

I just shook my head. Mintie was a dreamer who liked watching the clouds drift by, and asking questions that were impossible to answer. Questions that no one dare to ask. I grabbed a piece of bread.

The cows grazed behind us; they stood scattered around our fields. The wind skimmed the hills, only visibly by the shine it created through the grass. "Yve… do you think the caravaners will be home tonight?"

I blinked, looking over at her. In such a serene town like ours, it was hard to believe we were in a constant danger. "They'll be home." I answered. They had to be. This peace wasn't cheap, and warriors like the crystal caravaners worked hard to bring us safety.

For without the caravaners, our crystal would lose its light, and our town would decay. The poison called miasma would flood our streets, and kill us one by one. Until nothing remained.

"What if they don't come home?"

I blinked, standing abruptly. I wiped the crumbs from my clothing. "Mintie, isn't it time you returned back? Thank you for lunch, but I have work to finish."

She scrambled to her feet. "Right. Sorry." A small, laugh escaped her. "But, at least…"

"Hmm?" I picked up the bucket once again, cradling it in one arm.

"Will you go with me... to welcome them to town tonight?"

I pursed my lips, thinking about it. It was a ceremony I had been to countless times. The caravaners were always haughty, telling their outlandish stories and drinking themselves to sleep. "I'm a little tired tonight, sorry."

"Oh." She looked away, dejected. "Right."

I watched as her blonde hair dipped below the hill. Her figure carried off with the wind. Someday I'd come to regret letting her go like that.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

The caravan was late. It arrived when the stars were barely visible; painted over by a thin coat of dawn. Most the town folk had turned in for the night, and the few left were nodding off at the banquet tables. Silence seized our town that morning.

But Mintie was wide awake. Sitting patiently on the overarching hills. And in fact, she was the first to spot them- the shadow on the horizon.

She ran so fast she was barely able to keep her balance as she slid down the grassy fields. She stood on the bridge at the edge of the crystal's protection. And she smiled with hope in her eyes as they passed by. Still, as if her feet rooted to the land itself, they took no notice of her. The wounded and weary caravan.

* * *

_Yvelle. _ She said my name. My attention immediately snapped over to her; the shining crystal girl in a realm of darkness. _You told me your name was Yvelle._

Mother told me never to speak with her. She told me never to acknowledge her presence. She told me to turn away and run; to never look back.

But, the girl looked so sad.

As if she had just been weeping for humanity. As if she had all the answers in the universe, with no one to share, with no one to listen.

I sat down beside her. "Yes. I did."

I looked at her, unafraid as my mother told me I should be. She looked exactly the same as the last time I had seen her; untouched by time. And yet I- I had grown older.

Her face lifted to look at me. She was so bright I couldn't see her expression. But I knew. I knew she was crying.

"What can I do?" I asked.

_Fight back. _She pleaded me. _Staying alive is not enough anymore._

"Fight back?" I paused to think, "I don't understand, aren't we fighting already?"

_You fight what's in front of you, when the source lies far beyond._

I blinked, "The source-?"

A loud rumble interrupted me, paralyzing the realm and sending cracks throughout. _We are out of time._

"But what-?"

_No more. _ She took my hands. _You cannot be here any longer. _She lowered her head and kissed the back of my hand. _Your adventure begins now. _Her voice echoed in the back of my head as the realm shattered to white. A bright white light. My eyes adjusted to the room around me. The sun was up; it was already morning.

"-I slept in!" I cursed, jumping out of my covers. I struggled to quickly get my clothes on, and pull my untamed hair up out of my face. It wasn't until I reached for my jacket that I saw it.

A shining mark. Right on the back of my hand; where the crystal had kissed me.

I stood in silence; my voice painfully stuck in my throat. My lips open and quivering, searching desperately for words. My eyes glued to that mark; that intricate design that no living hand could have created.

"-Yve, they're back!" Mintie burst in through the door.

I shoved my hand behind my back. "What?"

"The caravan, they're back!" She repeated. "It took all night, but they finally..."

I just remembered to wipe the look of dread off my face.

"Are you alright?"

I smiled, closing my eyes. "I had a nightmare, it's nothing special." Mintie sat down on my bed. She kept her concerned eyes fixed on me. Those insightful eyes. "Why were they so late?" I asked, keeping her interest off me.

"They ran into trouble on the way back. A giant monster!" She explained.

I continued to get ready as if nothing had happened, hiding that mark as well as I could. "Is that so?"

"A behemoth by the sound of it! You know those creatures are known to hoard mythril?!" She lit up full of excitement. I made my way straight for the gloves hanging beside the door.

"Going riding?" She asked me.

"Y-yeah." I affirmed, still shaken.

"Okay, but after... I know you said you didn't want to go yesterday... but..." She trailed off into a mumble. "I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to see off the caravaners today."

I flinched. "Mintie... you're smart." I began, slowly. "Mom and dad want the best for you, and you'd be throwing away all of their hard work at trying to get you into a good alchemy school if you continue to neglect your studies. They're spending all the gil they have on your future." I shook my head. "The caravaners come and go every year, it's not important."

Mintie looked heartbroken. I swallowed hard, knowing I was trying to save her from the hard truth; I would be leaving with them. "Um... yeah. I guess you're right." She laughed a little, covering her disappointment. "Sorry to bother you." She said before leaving.

I waited for what seemed to be hours. I fell to my knees after she left. I squeezed my hand beneath the glove, as if applying pressure would make the mark disappear. "I'm so sorry." I whispered between sobs.


End file.
